Multipoint communication system and method

A conferencing system comprising a multipoint communication server for establishing multipoint communication between a plurality of endpoints, the multipoint communication server comprising:

• a session control interface configured to receive a set of endpoint identifiers, wherein each endpoint identifier identifies a participating endpoint which participates to a multipoint communication session,
• a data repository containing the set of endpoints identifiers,
• a media processing unit configured to receive a first upstream media stream from a first emitting endpoint among the participating endpoints of the multipoint communication session, the media processing unit being further configured to generate a plurality of downstream media streams for the participating endpoints of the multipoint communication session,
• wherein the data repository further contains a first replication inhibition set associated to the first emitting endpoint, wherein the first replication inhibition set consists of a subset of the set of endpoint identifiers of the participating endpoints, wherein the first replication inhibition set comprises at least an endpoint identifier of the first emitting endpoint,
• wherein the media processing unit is configured to generate the downstream media stream for each participating endpoint whose endpoint identifier belongs to the first replication inhibition set so that the downstream media stream does not replicate the first upstream media stream,
• wherein the media processing unit is configured to generate the downstream media stream for each participating endpoint whose endpoint identifier does not belong to the first replication inhibition set, so that the downstream media stream does replicate the first upstream media stream,
• wherein the media processing unit is further configured to:
• receive a second upstream media stream from a second emitting endpoint among the participating endpoints of the multipoint communication session, wherein the data repository further contains a second replication inhibition set associated to the second emitting endpoint, wherein the second replication inhibition set consists of a subset of the set of endpoint identifiers of the participating endpoints, wherein the second replication inhibition set comprises at least an endpoint identifier of the second emitting endpoint,
• in response to determining that an endpoint identifier of a third participating endpoint belongs neither to the first replication inhibition set nor to the second replication inhibition set, mixing together the first and second upstream media streams incoming from the first and second emitting endpoints in order to generate the downstream media stream for the third participating endpoint,
• in response to determining that the endpoint identifier of the third participating endpoint belongs to the first replication inhibition set and not to the second replication inhibition set, generate the downstream media stream for the third participating endpoint to replicate the second upstream media stream without replicating the first upstream media stream, and
• in response to determining that the endpoint identifier of the third participating endpoint belongs to the second replication inhibition set and not to the first replication inhibition set, generate the downstream media stream for the third participating endpoint to replicate the first upstream media stream without replicating the second upstream media stream.

A method for establishing multipoint communication between a plurality of endpoints, the method comprising:

• accessing a set of endpoint identifiers, wherein each endpoint identifier identifies a participating endpoint which participates to a multipoint communication session,
• receiving a first upstream media stream from a first emitting endpoint among the participating endpoints of the multipoint communication session, generating a plurality of downstream media streams for the participating endpoints of the multipoint communication session,
• wherein a first replication inhibition set associated to the first emitting endpoint consists of a subset of the set of endpoint identifiers of the participating endpoints, wherein the first replication inhibition set comprises at least an endpoint identifier of the first emitting endpoint,
• generating the downstream media stream for each participating endpoint whose endpoint identifier belongs to the replication inhibition set so that the downstream media stream does not replicate the first upstream media stream,
• generating the downstream media stream for each participating endpoint whose endpoint identifier does not belong to the first replication inhibition set, so that the downstream media stream does replicate the first upstream media stream,
• receiving a second upstream media stream from a second emitting endpoint among the participating endpoints of the multipoint communication session, wherein a second replication inhibition set associated to the second emitting endpoint consists of a subset of the set of endpoint identifiers of the participating endpoints, wherein the second replication inhibition set comprises at least an endpoint identifier of the second emitting endpoint,
• in response to determining that an endpoint identifier of a third participating endpoint belongs neither to the first replication inhibition set nor to the second replication inhibition set, mixing together the first and second upstream media streams incoming from the first and second emitting endpoints in order to generate the downstream media stream for the third participating endpoint,
• in response to determining that the endpoint identifier of the third participating endpoint belongs to the first replication inhibition set and not to the second replication inhibition set, generate the downstream media stream for the third participating endpoint to replicate the second upstream media stream without replicating the first upstream media stream, and
• in response to determining that the endpoint identifier of the third participating endpoint belongs to the second replication inhibition set and not to the first replication inhibition set, generate the downstream media stream for the third participating endpoint to replicate the first upstream media stream without replicating the second upstream media stream.